Pollinator Partnership

Pollinator Partnership
Name	Pollinator Partnership
Type	Nonprofit organization
Founded	1997
Founder	Unknown
Headquarters	San Francisco, California
Area served	Global
Focus	Pollinator conservation

Pollinator Partnership Pollinator Partnership is a nonprofit organization focused on the conservation of pollinating animals and habitats. The organization engages in advocacy, science, and education across North America and internationally, working with governments, corporations, universities, and community groups to protect pollinators and ecosystem services.

History

The organization emerged in the late 1990s amid rising concern about pollinator declines documented in studies by institutions such as United States Department of Agriculture, National Academy of Sciences, Smithsonian Institution, University of California, Davis, and Cornell University. Early collaborations referenced outcomes from events like the First International Conference on Pollinator Biology, Health and Policy and intersected with policy developments such as the Endangered Species Act listings and agricultural discussions involving the Environmental Protection Agency and Food and Agriculture Organization. As the group expanded, it engaged with regional initiatives tied to landscapes managed by agencies like the National Park Service, United States Forest Service, and provincial bodies in Canada and national programs in Mexico.

Mission and Programs

The mission centers on conserving pollinators and their ecosystems by bridging science and policy with practical on-the-ground programs coordinated with partners including Monterey Bay Aquarium, The Nature Conservancy, World Wildlife Fund, Audubon Society, and Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Program areas align with agricultural stakeholders such as United States Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency, corporate actors like Dow Chemical Company and Bayer AG (through research and stewardship dialogues), and academic partners like Harvard University, Stanford University, University of Michigan, and Pennsylvania State University for monitoring and guidance. Initiatives often reference international frameworks such as the Convention on Biological Diversity, Ramsar Convention, and regional conservation plans emanating from entities like California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Conservation and Research Initiatives

Conservation projects include habitat restoration on lands cooperatively managed with organizations including National Audubon Society, Sierra Club, The Nature Conservancy, and municipal partners such as City of San Francisco and County of Los Angeles. Research collaborations have produced data used by researchers at Smithsonian Institution, US Geological Survey, University of Guelph, University of British Columbia, and ETH Zurich to inform policy discussions with bodies like the European Commission and United Nations Environment Programme. Projects cover topics relevant to pollinators including disease ecology studied alongside Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, pesticide impact assessments referenced by Environmental Protection Agency and European Food Safety Authority, and landscape ecology modeled with support from National Aeronautics and Space Administration and National Science Foundation grants.

Education and Outreach

Education efforts target audiences ranging from schoolchildren in programs associated with Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service and National Geographic Society to professional growers engaged via extension services at Iowa State University, University of Florida, and University of California Cooperative Extension. Outreach includes public campaigns timed with observances such as World Environment Day, Earth Day (United States), and Pollinator Week, and leverages media partnerships with outlets like PBS, BBC, and The New York Times to amplify messages. Training and certification programs have been coordinated with botanical institutions such as Missouri Botanical Garden, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and networked education providers including National Wildlife Federation.

Partnerships and Collaborations

The organization maintains partnerships spanning governmental agencies such as United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Natural Resources Canada, and Mexican Secretariat of the Environment and Natural Resources alongside conservation NGOs like Conservation International and BirdLife International. Corporate and agricultural collaborations involve stakeholders like Whole Foods Market, Monsanto Company (now part of Bayer AG), Driscoll's, and trade associations including American Farm Bureau Federation and California Farm Bureau Federation. Academic and research linkages include cooperative projects with University of California, Berkeley, Yale University, Princeton University, and research centers such as Wageningen University and CSIRO.

Funding and Governance

Funding sources combine philanthropic foundations such as Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, government grants from entities like National Science Foundation and United States Department of Agriculture, and corporate sponsorships from agricultural firms and retailers including Target Corporation and Costco Wholesale. Governance is typically overseen by a board of directors drawn from professionals associated with institutions such as California Academy of Sciences, Environmental Defense Fund, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, and law firms with expertise in nonprofit oversight and conservation policy. Efforts to ensure transparency reference reporting standards advocated by organizations like Charity Navigator and GuideStar.

Category:Environmental organizations